Combination mount for machine guns



May 29, 1928.

w. T. GORTON COMBINATION MOUNT FOR MACHINE GUNS Fild' Aug. 20, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Snows W01; Walter T Ec|rtnn May 29, 1928. 1,671,282

' w. T. GORTON COMBINATION MOUNT FOR MACHINE GUNS Filed Aug. 20, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Walter T- Eurtnn Patented May .29, 1928.

itztzs zi WALTER GORTON, on THE UNITED STATES ARMY, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMBINATION MOUNT FOR IMAGHINE GUNS.

Application filed August 20, 1925. Serial No. 5 1,466.

' (GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS on THE ACT or mm: 3,1883, 22 STAT. n, 625.) g

The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any 5 royalty thereon. i v

This invention relates to a combination mount for machine guns. With the employment of machine guns for overhead the and their 'increasedrange 10 due to improved ammunition, it is necessary in the interest of protection to the advancing troops that a "stable and rigid mount be provided which willnot lose adjustment and require constant rechecking.

whereas in the normal application of the gun for lowangle firing against ground targets it is desirable that the gunbemounted as low as possible it is essential in high angle firing against aircraft that a more elevated mounting be maintained for proper aiming and manipulation. Consequently, an ideal mount for the gun should also be capable of rapid conversion to alternate positions of adjustment according to the nature of the target.

With tripods asyat present constructed the loads which the various members must bear are applied eccentrically. Sufficient mass of material to resist these eccentric loads'cannot be used in guns of this character if they are to preserve their mobility.

The thrust upon the mount due to the recoil of the gun is transmitted approximately along the center line of bore. Theoretically,

.tosecure a perfect mount, the axes of traverse and elevation of the gun or its cradle and the center of the support which is the point of attachment of'the trail legs should all intersect at a common point which is in the'axis of the barrel. While such a disposition of the axes is possible in the present arrangement, one of them, either the axis of elevation or the support, is slightly displaced with respect to the axis of traverse in order to provide for greater compactness.

Since the common point of the three axes and the center of thesupport is within the barrel of the gun, it is necessary, in'order Furthermore,

to satisfy the requirements enumerated, that preferably ining gear will be protected, and to provide an lmproved foot for the legs of the tripod. To these and other ends, 'my invention consists in the construction, arrangement,

and combination of elements, described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims forming a part of this specification. "i I A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a. view inside elevation of a mount'c'onstruc'ted in accordance with the in-v vention and shown in normal adjustment for low angle firing; j

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with the gun removed; and v Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the mount adjusted for high angle firing.

Figs/i and 7 are sectional views on the lines ll and 77' of Fig.2; and

Figsi'5 and 6 are sectional views 'on'the lines 5 -5 and 6-6 ofFig. 3. v Referring tothe drawingsby numerals of reference: 7 l

The mount which is of the tripod type comprises a tubularhead 5,.h'aving its upper end formed asayoke 5 for adjustably attaching a pair of relatively long trail legs 6-6 preferably spread at an angle of about 60. A short frontle'g 7 is adjustably attached to a lug 8 on the tripod head somewhat below the yoke 5'; Disposed within the yoke 5' is an inner yoke 9 whose stem i 9' constitutes the axis of traverse and is rotatable in the tripod'head. A cradle 10 consisting of spaced plates 11-911" isv mounted for movement in elevation by means of trunnions 1 212 passing through the arms of theinner yoke 9 and may be secured in adjusted position by means of the serratedjoi'nts 13 and the jamming'handles 14;

The forward-extremities of the cradle plates are offset so as to provide sufficientspace to accommodate the water jacket of the machine gun which is trunnioned in the cradle a short elevating, mechanism 16 of usual construction mounted in the free end of the cradle. 5 a roximate settin in elevating ac as at 15 and has its. rear end supported by complished by adjusting the cradle and 'final accurate setting is effected by the elevating portant because the crad letmrnnions, which. form the axis of elevation, and the attachmechanism. This arrangement requires but slight change ofthe gunwith respect to the cradle sowthat the axiszof the barrel-may be considered as practically fixed. This is imment of the trail legs-"to the tripod head, which is the center of the support, are both positioned-fin the plane of the barrel axis when the gun ishorizontali V Theoretically, the axis of elevation and the. center of the support should. be in co.-

I incidence with eachother and with. the axis of traverse, but in Order to provide; for compactness, the axis; of; elevation i is displaced to the rear thereby providihg, accessibility for manipulation and .colifinin the width of the yoke. 5". Within practica limits. I s 7 i In ad'usting the mountfor high angle firing jthe cradle. is elevated to a vertical posit'ion and securely locked against rotation by means of?the-traversingclamp17 which operates in the usual manner; Securedbetween the free ends of the-cradle plates is s aircraft- 7 V the leg, L Cleats.

a block 18 in whichfis mounted for 360 iretationlan auxiliary yoke 19"f0r trunnioning the gun when itis to be directed against The-feet 20 of the tripod; legs are formed with anuapproximate. spherical contact surface to provideffor varying inclinations of 21. are provided for an obvious purpose.

- In folding,the,cradle and legs swing ward to positions nearly parallel "with the tripodhead This method is of specialadvantage by'u reason of its convenience for both folding and unfolding, the compactnessof the tripod when folded andfthe protectionaffording the cradle and elevating gear by the legs which embrace them.

While in the foregoing there has been illustrated and described, such combination and arrangement of elements, as constitute the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is nevertheless desired to emphasize the fact ,thatinterpretation of the invention should only be conclusive when'made in the light of the subjoined claims. I Ivclaimr "1. A mount for machine guns embodying a tubular -head provided withan outer yoke, an; inner yoke whose stem is rotatable in the heaQL acradle including spacedplates .trunnioned in the inner yoke and, adapted,

to vnormally mount 'ah gun for :low anglefiring the cradleirunmons positioned in the Qplaneof thebarrel axisand slightly in irear of the stem, an auxiliary yoke. rotatable in the free end of the cradle and adapted to mount azgun for highangle firingw'hen the cradle'is adjusted to a vertical position, and

a pair of trail legs adjustably secured to the outeryoke in the planes of the barrel axis-and inner yoke stem. i

'2. A mount for machine guns embodying a tubular head-,providedwi-th anouteryoke, an inner yoke whose stem isro-tatable in the head,a-cradleincluding spaced plates trunnioned'in the inner yoke and adapted to nornial'ly mount-a gu'nffor low angle firing, the cradle trunnions positioned in the plane of ithe barrel axis, an auxiliary yoke rotatable in thefree' end of the cradle and adapted to ,mount a gun for high angle firing 'whenthe' yoke in 'the,'.plane of the barrel axis.

- 4. A mount'for machineguns embodying atubu'lar head provided with alL'OflitQIfyOke,

anlinnerfyoke whose stem is rotatablein'the head, a cradle trunnion ingthe inner yoke and adaptedtotrunnion agun, the cradle trunnions positioned in the plane ofthe barrel.

axis when "the gun is horizontal, means for locking the cradle in adjusted position, an

elev'a'ting mechanism carried by "the cradle "and attachable 'to the gun,an'd a pair oftr'ail legs adjustably secured to thepute'r yoke in,

the plane of the barrel axis when the 'gun is horizontal and substantially coincident with the cradle trunnions. j

'. 5. A mount for machine guns embodying an outerfyoke, an inner yoke rotatable therea in, a cradle tr-unni'oned in the inner yoke and. in turn adapted to trunnion a gunin rear 0f its trunnions, the cradle ftrunnions positioned inthe plane of the barrel axis when the gun is horizontah'a pair of trail v legs attached to the outer yoke substantially coincident withth'e cradle trunnions, and an elevating mechanism carried by the cradle and attachable-to the gun. v

6. A mountformachi'ne gun's embodying a central'support, a cradle adaptedto mount a gun and trunnioned in thesupport in the plane of the barrel axis, and a pair of trail egsattachedto' the support in the plane of the barrel axis, and substantially coincident i with the cradle. trunnions.

7 -A mount formachine gunsembodying aicentrallsupportpa cradle adapted tomount a .gun .andfi'trunnionedQin the plane of the barrel.axis,,and.a pair of trail legs attached to thesupport in the planeof fthe barrel axis. 8. A mount for machine @guns, embodying I a sl p'port,v a cradle trunnionedtherein an in'turn adapted'to trunnion-a gun in rear of its trunnions, the cradle trunnions positioned in the planeof the barrel axis when the gun is horizontal, and an elevating mechanism carried by the cradle and attachable t0 the gun.

9. A mount for machine guns embodying and adapted to normally mount a gun for low angle firing, and a rotatable yoke in the free end of the cradle for trunnioning the gun for high angle firingwhen the cradle is adjusted to the vertical position.

11. A tripod mountfor machine guns ineluding foldable legs and a: gun supporting cradle arranged to be folded between said legs and substantially parallel therewith.

12. A tripod mount for guns embodying a head and a pair of trail legs attached to the head at the height of the barrel axis of a gun mountable on the tripod.

WALTER T. GoRToN. 

